Foot accelerator



Jun i6, 1925. 1,542,052

A. F. GILLET FOQT ACGELERATOR Filed Feb.' 5, 1925 Hlexs P- Gd e4:

M' 1g t a tornai' Patented June 1.6, 1925.' i ST PATENT cerises; i

ALEXIS it GILLET, or OMAHA, NEBRASKA, assisteren rro JoannieMiiivoiriennesme` ooMrANY, or,V oni-AHA, nnsnesxa, A conieoaAfrIoN.

[o all wliomtmai/ concern: Y

Be it known that 1, ALEXIS F. GILLET, a citizen of the United States, residing at Omaha, in the county of Douglas and State of Nebraska, have invented certain new and usciful Improvements in a Foot Accelerator, of which thev following is a specification.

This inventionrelates to a foot-control for the carbureter-throttle of` internal coinbustion engines, and has for one of its objects to provide an oscillatory plate or iframe which may be attached to tlie r`o tatable operating-rod and throttle-rod used generally upon thevengines ofthe Ford type off automobiles, and to provide a oot-control for said plate, said plate or frame and its connected parts to be of such construction that brackets or other stationary parts generally employed may be dispensed with. Another object is to provide a device which `will consist ot "few and simple parts soY that it may be manufactured at a limited eX- pense. Still another object is to'provide a device for the purposeinentioned which may be conveniently mounted upon an engine and which will permit a complete footcontrol torv the carbureter throttle without causing a movement of the conventional, rotatable operating-rod, but will permit the operating-rod to be manually rotated, whenever desired, for its control of the throttle-rod. l f

The invention will be described and claimed, and other objects mentioned in connectiony with accompanying drawings in Fig. 1 is a side view showing parts of an engine and the foot-control ton the can bureter throttle. Fig. 2 is a side view, partly in section, oit the oscillatory plate or frame andparts carried thereby. Fig. 8 is an end view of parts shown in Fig. 2. Fig. l is a top plan view of the oscillatory plate or trame. Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic r i Y j i plan view showing the parts for a complete control "of the throttle.l `Fig.v 6 is a `bottom plan View of the oscillatoryplate or f raine. Fig. 7 is a detail showing the connection of the throttle-rod with the throttle-lever.

Referring now particularly'to the drawing, the invention is described in connection 'with thelengine 7 and foot-board 8 of an automobile, the steeringshaft 9, carbureter 140 and its` throttle-lever "114 being of conven- Vtionalfforin.` `Also thev invention is de- FODT AGCELERATORQ Animation sie@ February 5, 1925. serial. No. 7,160;

scribed in connection with the rotatable operating-rod12 and itslixed lever-arm a and handle 18, all ofthe parts thus mentioned being generally used upon the type of automobiles iirst mentioned, and the handle being disposedV adjacent to the steering wheellll 'for use ot' a driver who may manually impart a rotary movement to saidV rod for a control of the throttle. i

In order that the objects first mentioned may be attained I providean oscillatory platefor frame 15 which may be'constructed to advantage of sheet metal, its bottom planyiew, as shown in Fig. 6., being approximately of, L-shape, one of its Aends being provided with an aperture for receiving one end of a springl, its sidesat its opposite end being curved downwardly to provide opposed flanges 17 and 18.

I provide a throttle-rod 19 which is pivotally mounted at one of its ends in the throttlelever 11, its opposite end-portion being bent angularly and forming a projection 2() for engaging in apertures ,o and 0l formed respectively in the body of the plate or frame 15 and in the flange 17, the proportion of parts being such that the frame of plate 15 `may have swinging'inovements on said` projection 20.

It should be stated that the rodY 19 thus mentioned is somewhat similar to the throttie-rodA generally used on autoniobilesofthe type mentioned for connecting the throttlelever 11 with the lever-arm a of the op- Y eratinglrod 12. However said rod 19`inthe present instance is moved by the movement of the plate or iframe 15` and preferably is bent to, approximately, the form shown in the drawing, sov that it may be substitutedfor the throttle-rod generally used.

I provide a swivel-post 21 adapted to have rotatable movements in theapertures e and f formed respectively in the body of the plate or frame 15 and in the iiange 18, said post being bent angularly and forming a projection 22 adapted to have afpivotal mounting in the aperture g ofV the leverarm a orod 12.

Numeral 23 indicates a i pull-and-push bar or foot-control rod to which the spring 16 is attached as indicated at ai, said rod being. adapted lto `be disposed in an aperture 71, of the foot-board 8 and having an endportionbent angularly as indicated `at 24 "(Fig. 2) for engaging pivotally in apertures and m formed respectively in the sive, and the flanges 17 and 18 and stopbody of the plate or frame 15 and in its iange 18, and at 25 is indicated an upright projection or stop-member which is provided for the plate 15.

It will be understood that a driver by pressing the toot-piece 26 and rod 23 torwardly, may move the lever-arm 11 oit the carbureter to open position for providing a supply of gas to the engine wit-hout causing any movement of the operatingmd 12 or handle 13, said movement ot the rod 23 being against the torce of the spring 16, and by operation ot spring 16 the lever-arm 11 will swing to closed position when the pressure upon the toot-piece 26 is discontinued, and this feature is ot great advantage since both hands of the driver are often required for grasping the wheel 14 to eiectively and safely steer a vehicle.

On account of the construction as described the movements ot the plate 15 are oscillatory. Since it is not connected with any stationary part this plate or traine is free to swing under control of the rod 23 and spring 16, and also is tree to swing under control or by the rotatable movements of the rod 12. If a driver desir/es to use the rod 12 for providing a supply ot' gas to the engine he may, by use of the handle 13, cause a rotatable movement of said rod, the levern arm a, moving in a circles are to cause a swinging movement of the plate or frame 15 Jfor moving the throttle-rod 19 and lever-arm 11 against the force of the Spring 1G, the rod 23 not preventing this operation.

The operation of the invention depends, in part, upon the fact that the plate or frame 15 has approximately the form, in plan, of a bell-crank fulcrumed upon the swivel-post 21, the mounting o't the rod 23 upon said frame or plate being between the mounting of the spring thereon and said post 2l, operation also depending on the fact that the stop-member 25, which by action oit the spring 16 normally engages the rod 23, maintains said rod 23 in non-alignment with the spring, whereby said member 15 is at all times disposed in such a position that it may be readily swung in one direction by a forward movement of the rod 23, and will automatically swing in a reverse direction by action of the spring 16. It will thus be seen that the arrangen'ient for the spring and the stop-member 25, as described, is important to dependable operation.

Y While Indo not wish to be understood as limiting myself to the use ot sheet metal in the construction of the oscillating-plate 15, it is obvious-that correct movements oit' said plate and rods 19 and 23 require that the post 21 and projections 21 and 24 shall he maintained relatively parallel. Sheet metal is preferred, and if used will be found to be, comparatively, of light weight and .inexpenmember 25 may be conveniently formed by incisingvand bending, and it will be appreciated that the flanges mentioned are useful, in conjunction with the body of member 15 for n'iaintaining said projections and the post 21 parallel, as compared with cach other.

The toot-piece 26 has a threaded connection with the rod 23 as indicated at n, and to place the device in operative position after said part 26 has been removed, all that is necessary is to insert the rod 2?) in the aperture z, of the toot-board, and a'lter the projection 22 has been n'iounted in the :iperture of the lever-arm (t the throttle-rod 1f) may then be connected with the lever-arm 11; and after the part 26 has been replaced on t-he end of rod 23, the device will be ready for use. It will thus be seen that installation of the device may be readily and conveniently accomplished, and for this purpose a mechanic or person skilled in the art ol handling tools will not be required, i'or all parts of the device are attached to the plate or trame 15 ready for installation, no additions or changes ot an automobile being needed when placing the device in operative position, it being understood, ot course, that the conventional throttle-rod used on the type of automobiles first mentioned must be removed, the present throttle-rod 19 being its complete substitute.

I claim as my invention,- y

1. In a toot control for the valve-lever of a carbureter throttle, the con'ibination with a manually rotatable operating-rod having a fixed arm, of a swivel-post pivotallyconnected with said arm, a bell-crank pivotally connected with the swivel-post and provided with a stop-mcmber, a throttle-rod pivotally connected at its respective ends with the hell-crank and said valvelever, a foot-controlrod pivotally connected with the bell-crank, and a resilient elenient connecting the bell-crank with the `loot-control-rod normally maintaining said foot-control-rod in engagement with said stop-member, said foot-rontrol-rod being movable against the Ytorce oli said resilient element into disengaged relation with the stop-member for moving said throttle-rod.

2. Ina foot control l'or the valve-lever of a carbureter throttle, an operating-rod having a .fixed arm, a bell-crank provided with a stop-member and mounted to permit swinging movements 'trom said arm, a throttle-rod pivotally connected at its respective ends with the bell-crank and valvelever, a resilient element connected with the bell-crank, a-loot-controlrod pivotally connected with the bell-crank and the resilient element and normally maintained in engagement with the stop-member by action ,of said resilient element, said footcontrollll) rod being movable into disengaged relation with said stop-member for moving the bellcranl, the throttle-rod and said valvelever.

3. In a foot control for the valve-lever of a carbureter throttle, an operating-rod having' a lixed arm7 a sheet-metal plate having a form in plan of a bell-crank said plate being provided with a stop-member and bent to provide a ilange and a second flange, a swivel-post having a pivotal mounting in said plate and first named flange and pivotally connected With said lined arm, a throttle-rod having a projection at one of its ends pivotally mounted in said plate and second flange of said plate, its opposite end having a pivotal connection With said valve-lever, a resilient element connected with said plate, a foot-control-rod connected with said resilient element and having a terminal projection pivotally mounted in'said plate and first named flange of Said plate and normally maintained in engagement with the stopmember by action of said resilient element, said 'oot-eontrol-rod being movable into disengaged relation with` the stop-member for moving said plate, said throttle-rod and said valve-lever.

4L. In a foot control for the valve-lever of a carbureter throttle, an operating-rod having a fixed arm, a swivel-post pivotally connected with said arm, a bell-crank pivotally l connected with the swivel-post and provided with a stop-member, a throttle-rod pivotally connected at its respective ends With the bell-crank and said valve-lever,V a foot-control-rod pivotally connected with the bellcrank7 a spring connecting the bell-crank With the foot-control-rod normally pressing said last named rod into engagement with said stop-member7 said bell-crank, said throttle-rod and said valve-lever being movable by the foot-control-rod against the force of said spring7 the i'oot-control-rod being disengaged from said stop-member.

5. In a foot control for the valve-lever of a carbureter throttle, an operating-rod having a liXed arm, a slidably mounted footeontrol-'rod, a bell-crank provided with a stop-member and mounted to permit swinging movements from said arm and having a pivotal connection with said valve-lever1 and said foot-control-rod, a spring on the foot-control-rod connected With the bellcrank and normally maintaining said footcontrol-rod in engagement with the stopmember, said last named rod being movable into disengaged relation with said stopmember against the force of said spring for moving the bell-Crank and said valve-lever.r

In testimony whereof, I have affixed my signature in presence of tivo Witnesses.

ALEXIS F. GILLET. Witnesses:

HIRAM A. STURGES, ARTHUR H. STURGES. 

